129. Personnel Change, Sea Change – Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” [Romans 8:28^a, NRSV].

Pope Francis meets with representatives of the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious in his library in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican April 16. The same day the Vatican announced the conclusion of a seven-year process of investigation and dialogue with the group to ensure fidelity to church teachings. The outcome resulted in revised statutes approved by the Vatican. (CNS photo / L’Osservatore Romano)

A year and a half into Francis’ papacy, people around the globe continue to sit up, watch and listen to this Pope chosen from the “end of the world” who holds their fascination with his candid addresses and outright rejection of clerical pomposity and arrogance.

Personnel in an organization can so drastically affect the institution, the people in it, and far beyond. In ways fundamentally different from before, people, including many Catholics, are beginning to speak of renewed hope for the Church and the world with this change at the helm of the Roman Catholic Church. All this eventually converges in one observable truth: personnel change in an organization can and often does precipitate a sea change, negatively as well as positively.

In its September-October 2014 issue, the editorial of the Sojourner magazine comments:

For Catholics – and many others – what happens in Rome doesn’t stay in Rome. The seating of a new pope has the power to affect believers across the globe, in ways direct, indirect, and unpredictable. And when a surprising sea change occurs in a hide-bound, steeped-in-tradition place like the Vatican – the unexpected resignation of a pope, the selection of a Jesuit from the Americas as his replacement, and the powerful symbolism of a new leader who literally stoops to wash a Muslim woman’s feet – people of faith of all traditions sit up and take notice.

A recent observable piece of truth has occupied much coffee-corner conversation. It has to do with the recent release of the apostolic visitation report on the Vatican investigation into the life of the American women religious.

Six years ago, when the Vatican under Pope Benedict announced the investigation, couched in the formal name of “apostolic visitation”, all hell broke loose. The apostolic visitor was selected from the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), the organization of American women religious whom Vatican favoured for their “conservative” lifestyle and “obedient” postures and who stood in sharp contrast to the spirit of the American Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). In truth, then, it was the LCWR, representing some 80% of the women religious in America, that rightly felt that it was under investigation. Not only were the Sisters whom the investigation affected responded with hurt and anger, huge sectors of the American Catholic laity and, we hasten to add, the world over, were shocked and livid. On account of the on-going colossal clergy sex abuse crisis, and the massive financial mismanagement scandals, not to mention the openly visible malaise of the ordained male population of the Catholic Church that Pope Francis has repeatedly and openly spoken against, practically every living Catholic knows deep down that it was the group comprising the ordained officials of the Church that needed to be seriously investigated and thoroughly overhauled. And yet, they were investigating the women religious with apparent sense of urgency and relish! The laity we spoke to were not just angry, they were furiously so. For the laity knew well that the women religious were the very hands and feet of Jesus, doing serious work on the ground, including serving the poor and the marginalized. Then, Francis was installed the new Pope, and he told the Sisters to just get on with their good work, rather than get all upset over some small letters from Rome. Soon after that, João Bráz de Aviz from Brazil replaced Cardinal Rodé as Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL). Cautious optimism sprang to life. Whispers of hope were heard along with the winds of change.

When the final report was released early December 2014, Catholics the world over were delightfully stunned by the sea change since the investigation started six years ago. That sea change is apparent to all, the parties’ conciliatory effort to gloss over the past crisis and immense bad blood notwithstanding. Factually then, the course that the changes took was very telling: as the spirit at the top changed, the tone of investigation changed; then, the change in the degree of collaboration followed suit; and finally, the final report on the investigation left you wondering why the process was so ferociously, highhandedly, and hurtfully instituted in the first place.

The authorities did not have to say it in so many words, but thinking Catholics the world over knew that a key to understanding this entire fiasco under the previous administration turned on an insistence on authority and power, submission and obedience, regardless. Marking a sharp departure from the earlier mentality, Cardinal João Bráz said some memorable words: “Authority that commands, kills. Obedience that becomes a copy of what the other person says, infantilizes.”

At the press conference five years ago, Rodé single-handedly announced the investigation without having even informed the major superiors of women religious of his intention to do so, much less invited their participation in any way. At the press conference for the release of the final report of the investigation, Cardinal João Bráz appeared in a group of three men and three women: two men from CICLSAL, the Cardinal Prefect himself and the Secretary Jose Carballo, Mother Mary Clare Millea, ASCJ, the director of the investigation, Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, who was part of her team represented the Vatican agency which had initiated and carried out the visitation, and the heads of the two conferences of U.S. women religious, Sr. Sharon Holland, IHM, president of LCWR and Sr. Agnes Mary Donovan, SV, coordinator of CMSWR, representing the congregations which had been investigated. The initial secrecy and highhandedness which precipitated the total shock, confusion, and disgust at the investigation’s launch, was replaced by a transparent, civil and accommodating spirit at its conclusion. The participants in this event had all been accorded access to the report beforehand, and the time to thoughtfully formulate their responses.
From the previous symbol of “just so you know who’s boss”, the world saw a conscious attempt at reconciliation, mutual respect and acceptance. Of course, you then have to wonder what the hell was all that fuss about in the first place!
The atmosphere before the personnel change was confrontational. The Vatican, as usual, was initially bent on showing who was boss; the women religious of the LCWR were ready to show that they, too, had “oil in their lamps” to burn through the dark nights as they awaited the light of dawn. While the Vatican officials were perceived as arrogant and dismissive, demanding and authoritarian, the women religious portrayed a picture of spiritual fortitude, righteous defiance and readiness to do battle to defend their integrity and dignity. In the background loomed a distant possibility of the LCWR setting up an alternative structure outside of Vatican and American male hierarchy control should this oppressive, witch-hunting, investigation precipitate in an unbearable outcome. The laity, in the mean time, to the surprise of the Vatican enforcement apparatus, put up a groundswell of support to the Sisters for rightly refusing to surrender their dignity to the “spiritual gangsters” to trample under foot. One media commentary at the time went thus: “The Vatican soon realized it was picking the wrong fight with the wrong group at the wrong time.”
The investigation began on a trajectory that pointed to disaster and utter humiliation for the LCWR as its terminus. The final report was a text that all parties concerned, and beyond, could heartily welcome as positive and conciliatory, a report upon which all could breathe, find hope and move on. An utter disaster for the Sisters and a potential schism has been averted. Personnel change has indeed precipitated a sea change.

Press conference on the release of the final report. Credit Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Through this process, the American nuns of the LCWR affiliation have taught us valuable lessons on faithfulness and integrity, courage and civility, spirituality and leadership, and much else. From where we stand, these American women religious have much to offer all gatherings of human persons, be they the families or lay and religious organistaions, the parishes or dioceses, the Catholic Church hierarchy or indeed the world, about leadership. Uncompromisingly, they have taught us what it means to:

remain spiritually grounded at all times, but most particularly when the going gets tough and the situation grinds to a crisis point;
stay focused on doing what you truly believe you are called by God to do;
refuse to allow your dignity or anybody else’s to be trampled on by anybody, however high a chair he may occupy;
work with mutual respect and openness;
respect human equality and nothing less;
insist upon genuine dialogue, speaking courageously and truthfully, and listening deeply with a humble spirit;
utilize skillful collaborative processes towards positive results of healing hurts, de-escalating conflict, and the real prospect of moving forward.

Finally, that Sojourner editorial poses two questions that are staple diet at coffee-corner fellowship:

How will the spirit of reform that has marked Pope Francis’ first few months in office affect the worldwide church?
Will change at the top trickle down to parishes and neighborhoods…?

Do we have to wait for personnel change to see any real change on the ground?

You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to jeffangiegoh@gmail.com. You can also be dialogue partners in this Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry by sending us questions for discussion.

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